Infinite Beginnings
by The Wandering Bard
Summary: Ichika Orimura, little brother of the greatest Infinite Stratos pilot in the world, Chifuyu Orimura, has a lot to live up to once it's discovered that he is the only male in the world with the ability to pilot an IS. Thrown into the realm of IS, he finds himself finally capable of not only protecting those he cares about, but also making his sister proud. Stronger Mature Ichika.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Infinite Stratos and its original characters/universe. This is simply my fan fiction.

**Infinite Beginnings**

Prologue

* * *

Chifuyu Orimura scowled at her long-time childhood friend Tabane Shinonono, who had that same stupid grin on her face that she usually did. Even in a serious situation like this, leave it to Tabane to be so upbeat and positive. For as long as they have known each other she has always had this hyperactive energy about her, like a child constantly on a sugar high. Sometimes Chifuyu wondered where exactly all this energy came from.

Tabane clapped her hands together, "Everything is ready!" she said enthusiastically, her long purple hair swaying around with her body as she moved quickly to Chifuyu's side. She then hugged Chifuyu, as she normally loved to do. "Are you ready, Chi-chan?"

Chifuyu sighed and half-hugged her back with one arm, patting her on the back. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with."

"Alright! Well, it seems there are 2341 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles currently on their way to our location," she said nonchalantly, as if that was nothing to worry about at all. "According to my calculations, the missiles are traveling at roughly 15,000 miles per hour. So it will take two minutes for the nearest salvo of missiles to get here!"

Chifuyu looked at the metal contraption in the middle of the room. It resembled a half-finished robot, with the parts only covering the legs arms and lower torso, and it was folded up like an accordion. She had used them before, to help Chifuyu with the testing phase of her ambitious and life-changing technological invention: the Infinite Stratos (IS) machines. She had never used it for fighting though, but at least she would be familiar with how to move around in it. She was not too worried about using it though, since she was a quick learner to begin with.

Originally designed for space exploration, these exoskeleton machines changed considerably once they were weaponized, and suddenly the balance of power in the world was thrown into disarray. The IS threatened to destabilize the world as people knew it. Now, some unknown hacker had broken into the missile systems of the most developed countries in the world, excluding Japan, and was targeting the location of the facility where Tabane had created the IS to begin with.

"Go ahead and get in, Chi-chan! I need to do some last-minute calibrations after all, since this is a different variation of the model you used before," Tabane told her, motioning towards the IS unit. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Chifuyu shook her head and then, with a little struggle, got into the IS, activating it. The systems came online immediately and began a diagnostics check. Numerous wires still connected it to a bank of computers that Tabane had, and she typed away furiously at her terminal. Within thirty seconds, she let out a squeal of excitement and clapped her hands again.

"Okay, Chi-chan! Go! Go! Go!" And as she said the last 'go', a part of the ceiling slid away to reveal an opening for her to fly through. This happened simultaenously with the wires detaching themselves from the IS unit.

Chifuyu concentrated and the IS suddenly lifted off the ground, hovering for a second as she got her bearings, and then blasted out of the facility and into the sky above. The feel of the wind on her hair and skin was invigorating. She loved flying around, though this was not a time for enjoying herself. There was some serious business to take care of.

A voice crackled in her head, becoming clearer. "Hello? Hello? Chi-chan! Can you hear me? It's Tabane the Genius!"

For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Chifuyu sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Tabane. I can hear you loud and clear."

"Ohh! That's so awesome! It actually works!" she said.

"You mean you hadn't tested the radio out beforehand?"

"Well..." There was a slight pause. "I was sure it was going to work, I designed and built it after all. It's just that I've never actually tested it since I didn't have anyone to test it with! It was a new addition to the suit, after you had helped me out with the trial runs of the prototype model."

"Alright, fine. Whatever. I need info on those missiles _now_ Tabane!" Sometimes that girl needed a little help to focus.

"Right! The missiles! Well, the first salvo should be in sight... in twenty-seven seconds! They'll be arriving from the West."

Chifuyu growled out a reply, "Okay. How exactly am I supposed to destroy these things?"

Tabane, in rapid succession, explained the armaments available to the IS. The primary weapon was a giant broadsword, with a particle gun as its secondary weapon. She then explained how to activate the weapons.

"I trust you know how to use them, Chi-chan?" her tone was high-pitched and childlike, as usual, and her question remained unanswered as Chifuyu spotted the first wave of missiles.

She gritted her teeth and called for both the sword and the particle gun, the former materializing in her right hand and the latter in her left. "Okay," she whispered to herself, "Time to go to work."

There were thirty-three missiles in the first wave and she took aim with her particle gun to get used to the feel and the aiming of it. She destroyed half, with the other half falling to her broadsword as she flew across the sky at supersonic speeds. The missiles were easy targets, the only issue was would she be able to get to all of them in time.

"Chi-chan! That was sooo awesome! Ahh! Isn't the IS unit amazing? Oh, only a true super genius would create something so powerful and spectacular!" Tabane chimed through the communication link.

"Shut up and stay focused on letting me know about the missiles, Tabane! Damnit!" yelled Chifuyu as she continued to zigzag her way across the sky, the missiles exploding harmlessy in midair as she destroyed them using either her sword or her gun.

"Right, right! 217 missiles down, Chi-chan! There are 2124 left and they are incoming from all directions now! Gooood luckkk!" Tabane informed her, not sounding in the least bit worried as Chifuyu began to break a sweat from the exertion as well as the pressure of the situation. How she really hated the fact that Tabane seemed to be incapable of worry or stress.

-**xxxxxx**-

In the end, not a single missile hit its target. All 2341 missiles had been destroyed, all thanks to Chifuyu and the white IS unit she was using.

"Good job, Chi-chan! You got all of them!" Tabane's voice said over the commlink.

Chifuyu let out a sigh of relief. "Well, thanks to this suit of yours we all live to see another day."

"You're welcome, Chi-chan! I knew you'd love it!" replied the energetic girl, "Unfortunately, your work isn't done yet!"

"What do you mean? More missiles?"

"No! This time they are sending in air and sea forces to take you out! It looks like they didn't appreciate the fact that you managed to destroy 2341 ICBMs by yourself, Chi-chan! How rude!"

Chifuyu groaned. "Yeah. Rude. Right." Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she asked, "So what am I up against?"

Coordinates as well as satellite images were instantly displayed on her helmet's digital Heads Up Display (HUD) on the inside of the helmet mask.

"It looks like the Americans, Russians, and Chinese have mobilized their closest Pacific fleets and airbases! Satellites are picking up several fighter squadrons en route. They will engage you soonest. The fleets will take some time to get close, but you should be done with the fighters by then, Chi-chan. I believe in you!" Tabane said, as enthusiastic as ever.

"Thanks," she muttered in reply to the girl as she decided to head off the fighter squadrons and go to them instead of waiting for them to come to her.

An alert chimed, indicating that hostile forces were near and were trying to get a lock on her. She began to execute evasive maneuvers as she started firing her particle gun. The speed at which she was maneuvering through the air was too fast and too agile for the fighters to keep up. They fired randomly, unable to get a lock on her.

Chifuyu made sure that she damaged the planes without injuring the pilots. Within a minute she had downed three squadrons already, and that was all without even using her sword. This was definitely almost as easy as the missiles. She lost count of the number of planes she took down, but judging from the number of parachutes that dotted the sky there were well over a hundred of them.

"Way to go, Chi-chan! I knew you could do it. Now those pesky fleets are getting within range. The Chinese fleet is incoming from the southwest, and consists of 3 cruisers, one destroyer and two small aircraft carriers. The Russian fleet is incoming from the northeast and is composed of three cruisers, two destroyers and an aircraft carrier. The American fleet has four cruisers and three destroyers and an aircraft carrier as well. Go get em, Chi-chan!"

She thought for a moment. This was going to be trickier to pull off without any casualties, but she was going to do her best to avoid that. She needed to cripple the fleets' offensive capabilities while not endangering the lives of the crews that manned them. As if today was not already complicated, there were three fleets to worry about.

Taking another deep breath, she sped off towards the fleet nearest to her location, which turned out to be the Chinese fleet.

Anti-aircraft fire from the fleet peppered the air as she flew towards it. None of them were any real danger to her, the shielding and armor of the suit was equipped to handle firepower much more powerful than what the fleet was currently equipped with. That is, if their weapons actually hit her at all. She was too fast, and any anti-air missiles were destroyed with a swift swipe of her sword or a shot from her particle gun.

She targeted the engines of each ship first, making sure to get up close and dirty by using her sword to do the work so as to ensure the people who manned the engines would clear out. She tore through their hulls like paper. The aircraft carrier launched several jets as she went about crippling the fleet's mobility, and they formed a squadron by the time she finished.

All ships in the Chinese fleet were dead in the water. She also destroyed all the turrets and guns that she could see, again making sure the crews manning them cleared out. She resorted to buzzing them once by flying really fast by them, which often caused them to run, and then she would swoop back and destroy the weapons.

Twelve planes were already in the air and circling around for a strike run, with more launching so she decided to destroy all the planes on the decks of the aircraft carriers. She then proceeded to pick the planes in the air off one at a time. In truth, what made the operation so complicated was that she was avoiding inflicting casualties. Had she not cared at all, she could have annihilated them all within a matter of minutes and been done with it.

Well aware of this, she continued on to the American fleet, which was the next closest. That ended up taking her the longest since she dealt with the most ships and planes. The Russians took about as long as the Chinese to take down. In the end, the conventional weaponry proved laughably ineffective against the new technological marvel that was the Infinite Stratos.

Satisfied, Chifuyu made to go home and was on the way when Tabane contacted her again.

"Heyyyy Chi-chan! Good work on the fleets!"

"What is it now, Tabane? Are we being invaded?" asked Chifuyu half-jokingly, as it was a possibility though highly unlikely given how she handled the fleets and air units that had been sent.

"No! No! Actually, we are being attacked through technology. While their attempts at trying to hack into my systems are pitiful, they are still proving to be an annoying nuisance. I'm going to need you to take out some satellites, Chi-chan. Eight of them actually," she said simply.

Chifuyu stopped in mid-air. "Hold on. You want me to go into _space_?"

"Yeahhh! It's perfectly fine. Trust me!"

"And have you tested the units in space?"

"Ahhh... no. Not yet. But now's a good time to do it! Aren't you excited, Chi-chan? You'll be flying into space!" Tabane giggled a little.

Chifuyu sighed. "I suppose I have no choice?"

Tabane tut-tutted. "You always have a choice, Chi-chan! But, _please _do this for me? Pretty pleaase?"

"Fine. Alright. But if I die, I'm coming back to kill you... understand?"

"Sending you the coordinates now, Chi-chan!"

Chifuyu flew higher, heading for the nearest of the targeted satellites. She opened the commlink as she traveled, "Say, Tabane..."

"Yes? Is something wrong?" came the quick reply, a tinge of concern marred the otherwise still energetic and high voice.

She felt a little uneasy going after satellites. They provided communication and information functions that help to better humanity and bring humanity closer together. "No... it's just... I mean, how easily can these satellites be replaced? These are expensive and important equipment after all and prove useful for humanity in general."

Tabane responded almost immediately, "Don't worry, Chi-chan! Once things have cooled off and the politics and diplomacy goes forward on the IS situation, the IS units themselves can take satellites into orbit at a considerably lower cost than conventional methods. Besides, these are all military satellites! It'll be fine, don't you worry!"

"Well, if they're military then I guess that's alright..." Chifuyu said as she grabbed the targeted satellite and threw it towards the earth, making sure to aim for the ocean.

-**xxxxxx**-

_"Ichika! Do you remember that I joined the National Kendo Tournament earlier this week?" she asked him._

_Ichika laughed. "Of course I do, Houki. How is that going?"_

_"Well I'm competing in the championship match tomorrow!" Houki proclaimed proudly._

_"Wow! That's amazing, Houki! You work so hard and you're so talented. I'm sure you'll win," replied the young raven-haired boy confidently._

_She blushed a little at that, elated at his words. Her heart was beating loudly, faster even than when she was fighting in the tournament. "Hey... Ichika..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I-If I win... promise me something..."_

_"What's that?" he asked, curious and unsuspecting._

_"Promise... promise me that if I win you'll go out with me?" she blurted out all at once._

_Ichika looked stunned at the request, but then a slow smile spread across his face. "Okay!"_

_Houki's heart literally skipped several beats._

Houki Shinonono lay in fetal position, hugging her knees tightly to her chest, on the bed provided for her as she cried. Tears soaked the part of the bed near her head as well as her face and her long black hair. Why did her sister have to pick that day? Why did she have to do it on the day she was supposed to win Ichika's affections by becoming the National Kendo Champion?

Instead of winning both the title and his heart, all Houki did that day was forfeit the match and be whisked away by government officials to some secret location. It was for her 'protection', they had told her. She was still in shock when they took her, but eventually she started to yell and get a little violent. They mistook it for her misunderstanding the situation, but she understood what was going on all too well. She simply did not agree with it.

Now here she was, in some secret government safe house, far away from Ichika Orimura, her first friend and the boy she loved. So she cried her heart out.

And eventually, when her big sister Tabane came by to check up on her she at first ignored the purple-haired cause of her most terrible pain so far in her life.

Tabane was her usual bubbly and energetic self, and Houki was in no mood for it. Her sister was not one to give up so easily, however, and that triggered an episode that Houki would never forget for the rest of her life. A moment in time that she would regret deeply, and that she would look up to her sister to for enduring and continuing to love her even after the fact.

* * *

**Author's notes: **And yet another anime I've fallen in love with... Hope you enjoy the story. It's going to be a lot more... action-packed. At least that's the plan.

PLEASE NOTE: Tabane is the only one who will be using Japanese honorifics, as it is like nicknames for her and I can't see that character saying those names any other way. Otherwise, I will not be writing the honorifics out. Simply my personal preference as an author, so if you don't like it... too bad.


	2. The Alaska Treaty

**Infinite Beginnings**

The Alaska Treaty

* * *

Normally, not having class was something to be celebrated, especially if you were a young kid. No class, no homework, no responsibilities.

This was not just any cancellation of classes, however. The Japanese government had declared early in the morning that all classes were cancelled for the rest of the week in response to the revelation of the Infinite Stratos machines. There would also be a temporary work-stoppage for the day and all citizens were advised to stay in their homes. It was a matter of national security, and of global peace in general. Everyone knew about the attacks on Japan that were targeted specifically at the creator of this new technology, and how a single IS managed to neutralize not only over two thousand missiles, but entire fleets and air squadrons.

Even though the world governments did not want to admit it, there had been a massive security breach in their military systems. An overwhelming computer force had taken control, even going so far as to mobilize actually military assets. The world media was all over the hard-to-believe incident, and most people didn't know how to feel about it.

Infinite Stratos was what one would call a game changer, and the abruptness of the announcement of the IS coupled with its stunning debut on the world stage had every government scrambling to discuss a diplomatic solution to what was widely deemed a global crisis. If one IS could do that much, imagining an army of them was frightening for politicians.

While the Japanese government claimed they did not know about the IS, other governments were suspicious and reluctant to trust them. It's difficult to blame them, since Japan is the heart and birthplace of advanced robotics and computer systems, and something of this magnitude surely could not have been done without government involvement.

World leaders were meeting in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss what to do; unfortunately, and unfairly, the Japanese government was not invited due to the fact that they were deemed a party to the IS incident. Alaska was a strange place to meet, to be sure, but that mattered little to them. What mattered was what the world leaders would eventually decide to do regarding the IS technology, a development that threatened to completely throw off the balance of power in the world.

All that did not matter much to one Ichika Orimura, who was home alone that first day after the IS revelation. What did matter to him was that there was no class, and while his initial reaction had been joy, he quickly became bored as he found he had nothing much else to do to occupy all of the free time he suddenly had.

He had already practiced some kendo to pass the time and heated up some noodles to munch on. He read some books and some manga. He watched some cartoons on TV. He practiced kendo again. He even cleaned parts of the house, which he often only did when his sister told him to. Eventually, he simply ran out of things to do that did not bore him.

He had called up some of his friends, particularly Houki, but she did not pick up and neither did his other friends. He wondered what they were all up to and if they were all as bored as he was. He hoped that one of them would return his call. Particularly Houki. She was cute. He wondered how she did at the kendo tournament.

Even his sister was not there. He was usually at school during the weekdays so he did not know what his older sister actually did. He was aware that she had a job of some sort, but what that job was he actually did not know. Since it was only the two of them, he and his big sister were pretty close. She was often strict with him though, always wanting him to improve himself. Sometimes though, she would actually play and have some fun with him. Those were his favorite moments.

After taking a nap, he went into the living room and turned on the TV again. He flipped through the channels as he sipped on some boxed juice. He stopped on one channel in particular that was showing this amazing live-action movie of some robot fighting airplanes and shooting missiles down. He soon realized that he was watching a news channel, and they were saying that this actually happened.

"Whoa! No way!" he said out loud, leaning closer to the television.

He could not believe his eyes. This thing was real. This flying, shooting, sword-wielding machine was real. What was showing on the screen was actual footage of a robot-like mechanized powersuit that one could wear and use. It seemed like something Tabane would have come up with, seeing as how she was so smart. He wondered if his sister knew anything about it. Well, she was in for one hell of a surprise when she got back home and Ichika told her all about this awesome flying action robot. It really seemed like something straight out of a movie or TV show.

For a brief moment he thought that maybe this was fake, and that the news people were lying. Then he decided that thinking that was a foolish thing. The news people would not lie like that. That was way too crazy of a lie. That would have been way too silly and they would get in a lot of trouble if it turned out to be a lie. This had to be absolutely, one-hundred percent real, and that made him very excited.

"Maybe one day I'll be able to use one of those things and fly around and shoot stuff and be cool too," he said as he continued to watch the news, riveted by what he was seeing and sipping from his juice box.

-**xxxxxx**-

Houki Shinonono ate her food slowly as she stared at the empty chair across from her where her sister usually sat.

Her sister Tabane had left earlier without a word. She did not really know for sure where or if she had actually said anything before leaving since she had not been paying any attention to her older sister, who she was still very mad at. Her mind was still preoccupied with the fact that she was no longer near Ichika, and that it appeared she would not see him again for a long time, if at all. Plus the fact that she had missed the national kendo tournament.

She wondered if Ichika had already checked to see if she won the tournament.

One of the biggest reasons she tried so hard at kendo was so that she could impress Ichika. Of course, she would never admit to that fact if asked outright, but she knew why she did it. She grew up with kendo, having lived at a shrine for most of her life where she was encouraged to practice it, until recently. She actually managed to get Ichika interested in it, though that was also partly because his older sister encouraged him to do it as well once she saw Houki practicing while the two Orimuras were visiting the shrine. They eventually went to the same kendo dojo.

She found herself thinking of all the times she practiced with him when he had come over, which happened frequently, or practicing at the dojo. He was actually pretty talented at it, though he simply did not work as hard as she did and thus she almost always beat him. He did have his moments of triumph, but for the most part her skill was too much for him to handle.

After eating her lunch, she checked the newspaper that had arrived early in the morning. The front page had only one story, and the title read: **INFINITE STRATOS REVEALED**. Completely ignoring it, she flipped to the sports section and found the article she had been looking for, her eyes could have burned a hole in the paper as she read and reread the one line in the short article that mattered to her.

**KENDO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS**

_... for the junior division, Chiyoko Kano from Tokyo won by default when her opponent, Houki Shinonono from Ogawa, failed to make an appearance..._

Houki crumpled up the paper in a flash of anger, standing completely still for a moment as her whole body shook from her anger. Taking a deep breath to collect herself, she walked over to the garbage and threw out the paper. She was still clenching her fists when she sat down on the nice and comfy couch in the living room, body still rigid.

Had she been able to make it to the tournament, she knew that she could have and would have won that tournament had she been there. If it had not been for her damned sister's untimely revelation of the IS, she would have been the kendo national junior champion. As well as Ichika's girlfriend!

Blushing at the thought, she imagined what it would have been like for the briefest of moments, before shaking her head to clear it of such painful fantasies. Painful because they were not real, and so far they seemed improbable, if not impossible.

She decided then that she would continue to improve with her kendo. She, Houki Shinonono, would strive to become the national champion. She missed her chance because of things outside of her control, but she vowed that this time nothing would stand in her way to becoming the champion. And once she did, she planned to find Ichika and hoped to remind him of his promise. Or even better, maybe Ichika himself would find her once he heard she was the national champ.

Finding renewed vigor, the sadness and pain already behind her, she grabbed her shinai and walked out to the backyard to practice. She practiced for hours, her body aching, tired, and covered with sweat by the end of it. Finally putting down the shinai, she wiped some of the sweat that had formed on her brow with the back of her hand.

After a shower and some nice, hot dinner she ended up wondering where her sister had gone off to and how long exactly she would be gone. Tabane would often go away for days at a time, but she would at least let her know about it. This time, there had been no note that was left. No text message explaining, however vaguely, that she had things to do and would not be back for a while.

Houki was still in the government safe house that she was brought to earlier. Other than Tabana and the government agents who brought her there and who continued to guard the home, Houki had not actually seen anyone else around. There were no close neighbors, this being a safe house tucked away in the woods. She found herself thinking that Tabane better not have abandoned her, _or else_ that girl had a thing or two coming.

Where the heck was she?

-**xxxxxx**-

It was already dark out when Chifuyu Orimura parked her compact car and got out, taking her still-steaming cup of tea with her, and walked quickly over to the warehouse door. A lone light above the doorway illuminated the area around her. She entered the security code into the small panel next to the door and the door slid open with the slightest hiss.

"Tabane, did you hear about the Alaska Treaty that they're reportedly signing in a few hours?" she said loudly as she walked in, only to freeze in her tracks.

The warehouse was completely empty and she nearly dropped her tea from the shock.

"Hello? Tabane?" Chifuyu called out, her voice echoing across the empty expanse of the warehouse. "Helloooo?" Confused, she looked around and called out Tabane's name again. "Tabaneeee... this isn't funny."

There used to be tons of equipment all over the place, with tubes and wires snaking every which way. Sure enough she could see where the equipment used to rest thanks to the markings on the ground left by them. The warehouse was full the last time she was here, which was a little over twenty-four hours ago. She began to think of what could have happened, worrying a little as she walked further in, a part of her wondering if this was somehow a trick.

For a brief moment she entertained the thought that maybe foreign agents managed to get to her. Pretty much every foreign intelligence agency would have been out to get her already after all. Then she remembered that this was Tabane Shinonono that she was talking about. Nobody could get the best of Tabane. She was a genuine super genius after all and when it came to computers she was a true magician. True, she had her quirky and childlike personality, but she was not one to be caught so easily, which meant she must have left on her own. But to where she had no idea.

Her phone rang, vibrating in her jacket pocket. Slipping a hand in to grab her phone she took it out and glanced at the screen to see who it was.

Tabane's smiling face was plastered on the screen, along with her name. Right on cue, it seemed.

She answered it immediately. "Where the _hell_ are you?"

"Hey! Hey, Chi-chan! Do you miss me?"

She let out a slow breath of relief. At least she knew that Tabane was safe. "I said, where the hell are you, Tabane? Don't ignore the question."

"Oh, I'm somewhere... you don't really need to know, Chi-chan. But don't worry, I'm okay and I'll be sure to keep in touch! Hihi! I just needed to get away for a while."

"Mind telling me why at least?"

"Nope! No can do. Not that I don't trust you. Sorry Chi-chan! Maybe later though. Hmm? Yes! I think I can tell you later. I can!"

Chifuyu sighed. "So, if you're not telling me where you are or why you left... then why are you calling?" Chifuyu asked, starting to get annoyed again as per usual when she was dealing with Tabane these days.

"Because I knew you'd be worried!"

Chifuyu stayed silent. She actually was worried, both for Tabane's safety and about what she was working on. The last time she secluded herself she came up with the original prototype designs for the first IS core, Core 001. She spent countless hours on it, often not sleeping, and yet all throughout she remained the same energetic Tabane. Sometimes Chifuyu wondered if she herself was a machine. That certainly would explain a lot of things.

She asked knowingly, "You also need something, don't you Tabane?"

"Chi-channn! You can read minds? Whoaa! I knew you were the best! I just knew it!" the voice on the other line was full of awe.

Chifuyu rolled her eyes. "What do you need me to do, Tabane?"

-**xxxxxx**-

Ichika was fast asleep on the couch across from the TV, which was still on, when Chifuyu returned later that evening.

She walked over, noticing the empty juice box on the coffee table in front of the couch. Reaching for the remote, she was about to turn it off when she realized that it was tuned in to a news channel and they were having a special breaking news update about the Alaska Treaty that the world leaders were deliberating on all day.

"..._ just thirty minutes ago, the world leaders assembled here in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss the latest Japanese technology, called Infinite Stratos, finalized what is now being called the Alaska Treaty. Specifics have not yet been released, but our sources say that there are three main points to the treaty. _

_First, it was unanimously agreed by all countries that the IS is banned from military use. Second, there will be an equal sharing of the limited IS cores throughout the world to maintain a balance of power and all research and development information should be shared. Third, the Japanese government is responsible for setting up and running an IS Pilot Training Facility since it is their technology to begin with._

_No word yet from the Japanese government, who are notably absent from this meeting of world leaders. It is unclear to us as of now if this is because they were not invited or because they simply refused to go. As always, we'll get you more information as soon as we receive it..."_

Chifuyu shook her head, turning the television off. She was not at all surprised at the reaction of the rest of the world to the revelation of the IS. In fact, she knew that something like this would happen, though she was actually more pessimistic and thought another World War might start. One of the reasons why she kept helping Tabane was because she knew even if she did not that the super genius would have done it all on her own anyway.

At least by staying in the loop during the development of the IS she was able to not only understand the technology, at least to some extent, but she was also able to experience using it herself. Tabane needed to gather data to continue development after all, and Chifuyu was all for helping her out by becoming the first pilot of an IS. In the event of the worst case scenario she envisioned in which there would be a world war, she figured that she could use an IS to protect those she cared about.

She glanced at Ichika, who shivered slightly and mumbled something incoherent as he continued to sleep. Grabbing a blanket from the linen closet, she draped it over her little brother, softly running a hand through his black hair and then kissing him on top of his head. He was the only family she had left, and she was the only family he had left.

For years now it had only been the two of them, and she knew it would be the same going forward. No matter what happened in the coming years, she would protect her little brother at all costs.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Thanks for the early reviews! I'm using both the light novels and the anime as guides, but this will be a different plot. One that hopefully you will find enjoyable. As always, feedback is appreciated. :)

_EDIT (6/18/13) - wow, I reread this and there were a bunch if mistakes and things I had left out that I wanted in this chapter. I remember writing this late at night/early in the morning so I guess I was so tired I didn't notice. Sorry!_


	3. A Scarlet Week

**Infinite Beginnings**

A Scarlet Week

* * *

Houki sat on her bed, back against the headboard, and stared out the window of her new bedroom watching the rain patter and flow against the glass. A bright flash from outside invaded her room briefly, lighting up the dim space, and was soon followed by a heavy rumbling of thunder. Her room was bare save for a wooden dresser, a bed, and the two nightstands that flanked it. On one nightstand was a lamp, the only light on in the room. Beside it was a simple electronic alarm clock and it reminded her of how late it was. What few possessions she brought were still stuffed into the duffel bag in the closet that she was currently living out of.

She hugged her knees to her chest, glancing down at her dormant cellphone. Tabane hadn't returned yet, and Houki was at first pissed, but she eventually started to worry. What if something had happened to her?

The thought had crossed her mind to call her, or to at least even text her, but she was still mad at her for what she had done to, in Houki's eyes, ruin her life. Not as mad as she was initially, but still mad. She still had not forgiven her for inventing those stupid machines that have torn them away from their home, and more importantly torn Houki away from Ichika. She looked at her phone again, half-expecting Tabane to suddenly call and tell her how she had not minded the time and realized how late it was. That she was coming back and not to worry. But that didn't happen.

Houki began to wonder if it was because of the awful way she had treated her older sister the first night of their relocation. She tightened her hold on her legs, squeezing them to her chest as she thought about that night and all of the terrible things she had said. A torrent of spiteful and hateful words were unleashed that night, things that she didn't really mean but she knew would hurt her sister.

Tabane took it all calmly. Not once did she lash back in anger. She didn't even shed a tear. In fact, she didn't say a single word throughout the whole thing. The only indication of her feeling miserable was the simple fact that she didn't do anything while she took the verbal abuse from her little sister. Tabane Shinonono, the young woman who seemingly was powered by her own nuclear power plant, was still and silent as the grave for one night. There was no smiling from her that night. Her eyes didn't have their normal vibrancy. And at the end of it all, once Houki had exhausted herself and vented her disproportionate anger, Tabane had hugged her and held her until she fell asleep.

A flash of lightning brightened the room again, breaking her out of her thoughts. Yawning as the rumble of thunder followed, she turned the lamp off and slipped under the covers, feeling so very tired.

Looking back on that night, Houki wished she could take those hurtful words back.

-**xxxxxx**-

"Where are you going big sis?" Ichika asked, suddenly worried as he walked into his sister's room and found Chifuyu packing the next morning.

He had wanted to talk to her about those awesome robotic suit thingies that he saw on the television the previous night, but that was immediately forgotten as thoughts of being abandoned again crossed his mind.

While Ihicka had not understood it at the time, when their parents left them he at least knew that something really bad had happened. And Chifuyu had explained in simple and gentle terms that their parents were leaving for a long time, and that they would have to take care of each other from then on. There were already tears in his eyes as his imagination ran wild with the idea that she was leaving him too and he began to wonder what he did wrong. Maybe he could still convince her to stay and he could make things right again if only he could determine what wrong he committed to make her leave.

"Ichika," she said his name sternly as she realized what he must have been thinking, "I'll only be gone for a few days. I just need to take care of a few things, but after that I'll be right back, okay?"

"O-Only a few days?" he looked at her meekly, wiping away the extra moisture that had accumulated around his eyes.

She nodded, crossing the distance between them and hugging him, which he returned tightly. She ruffled his hair. "Did you really think I was going to leave you?"

"Maybe a little bit.." he replied honestly, closing his eyes as they continued to hug each other.

"Well listen, Ichika, okay? I won't leave you. You and I... we're family. We're the only family we have left, so we have to stick together like we've always done. So I would never ever leave you. Ever. Never forget that," she told him as she broke the hug and knelt down to look him square in the eyes. "Now stop with this crying nonsense. You do know boys aren't supposed to cry, right?" She lightly pinched his cheek.

He nodded slowly, his mouth twitching into a small smile as he wiped away the tears.

"That's it! Be strong, Ichika. Always be strong." Satisfied, Chifuyu returned to her packing. "I can't leave you here alone since I'll be gone for a while, so I'll be dropping you off at the Gotanda residence. You remember the Gotandas, right?"

Ichika thought for a moment, trying to recall who they were. He remembered them vaguely, but he was really little back when he first met them and he had not seen them for some time now. There were two kids that he could recall, Dan and Ran, and the strongest memory he had of them was that the whole family had scarlet red hair. That was about it. His response was short, "I think so."

"Well, if you remember I used to work at the Gotanda Eatery when we... when we were still trying to make ends meet... Well, anyway Miss Gotanda was always so nice to us and so I called her up and asked again if she might help us out. She was of course more than willing. Ichika, You better behave when you're there. Got it?"

"Yes, big sis. I promise!" he assured her, smiling again.

"Good. Now go ahead and pack what you'll need for the week. We'll leave in an hour." She ruffled his hair, turned him around, and pushed him gently towards the door.

-**xxxxxx**-

The Gotandas lived in a two-story cream-colored building that was divided between the restaurant on the first floor and their home right above it on the second floor. Standing tall right outside was a big green light-up sign that read, "Gotanda Eatery."

"This is the place," Chifuyu declared as she parked her car right out front.

Ichika let himself out of the car, taking a good look at his temporary home and shouldering his backpack. His older sister took a gym bag out from the trunk and started walking to the front entrance, Ichika following behind her. A small folding sign next to the front door listed the menu of the restaurant, and Ichika suddenly felt hungry.

Chifuyu slid the front door open and walked into the cozy restaurant, the smell of food hung in the air and Ichika breathed it in and got even hungrier. There were eight tables spaced out evenly, with only one table occupied by a family of three. Farther back past the tables was counter that stretched about three-quarters of the width of the room, with the last quarter taken up by a hallway. Behind the counter, the kitchen was clearly visible with one employee not cleaning some pots and pans. A second employee, a woman, walked over to them. Both employees had the signature Gotanda shade of red hair.

"Chifuyu!" greeted the red-headed woman with a big smile. She looked older up close, with a few wrinkles and line visible on her face.

"Miss Gotanda!" Chifuyu put down the gym bag and the two of them embraced. When they broke apart, Chifuyu said, "This is my little brother, Ichika."

The older woman turned to Ichika continued to smile, her eyes squinting a little in genuine happiness. "Oh, I remember you little one. Though you're not so little anymore."

Ichika bowed his head, "Thank you for letting me stay here," he said to her, just as Chifuyu had told him to do earlier before they had even left the house.

"Of course, dear. You are welcome anytime," replied Miss Gotanda. She sounded very sincere. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Ichika said quickly, before realizing he had practically yelled his response.

"Ichika!" Chifuyu said in dismay, but Miss Gotanda merely chuckled, a twinkle in her eyes.

"I should've guessed. He's a hungry, growing boy, just like my little Dan," the redhead said, amused. "How about you, Chifuyu? Care to stay for a meal?"

"I actually need to go already," said Chifuyu apologetically, "But thank you."

Miss Gotanda inclined her head, then her gaze went to Ichika. "Give me one moment and I'll get you some food, okay?"

Ichika nodded and watched as the older woman went to the occupied table to continue serving them.

Chifuyu knelt down then and took hold of Ichika by the shoulders, her dark brown eyes meeting his own. "Now Ichika, you listen to Miss Gotanda and you stay out of trouble, you hear me?"

He nodded. "Only if you stay out of trouble too!" he said with a small smile.

She ruffled his hair and gave him a nod of her own. "Okay. It's a deal."

He beamed at her.

Miss Gotanda finally returned to them with a plate full of steaming rice and fish, and Ichika's eyes went wide, mouth instantly watering. "Here you go, Ichika," she said as she put down the plate and a set of chopsticks on a nearby table.

The little boy immediately sat down and started to attack the food, the two women watching him with open amusement.

Chifuyu then turned serious and glanced at the Gotanda matron, "Thank you again for taking care of him while I'm away, Miss Gotanda. If anything comes up, please let me know. You can reach me through my cellphone." She looked back at the feasting Ichika, his plate almost empty. "I'll try and get back as soon as possible. " With that said she bowed her head respectfully and then walked out of the restaurant.

-**xxxxxx**-

"And this is Dan's room, but you'll be sharing it with him," said Miss Gotanda as she opened the door and ushered him inside, placing Ichika's gym bag full of clothes and other necessities off to the side. The hallway on the first floor led to the restrooms and ended in a staircase that went up to the living quarters on the second floor.

Ichika walked in and looked around the modest room, noting that there was a TV across from the bed. An air mattress was already set up next to it on the floor.

"Dan! Wake up, honey. Ichika is here," the redheaded older woman squeezed by the small space between the air mattress and the bed, reaching for a lump of blankets that Ichika didn't realize was hiding someone.

"Okay... Okay... I'm up..." grumbled the sleepy voice of the boy underneath the covers.

Finding an edge that she could grab, Miss Gotanda pulled on it to reveal a skinny young boy with flaming red hair in his pajamas. He was rubbing his eyes, blinking rapidly, when he sat up and stretched. His mouth opened into a large yawn.

"Alright, well I need to get downstairs and continue working. You boys should get reacquainted," she said, heading for the door.

Once she was gone, Dan lay back down on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head. His brown eyes looked at Ichika with interest, and the dark-haired boy couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

"So, Ichika. It's been a while," Dan finally spoke.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ichika wasn't sure what else to say.

"Well. That's fine. You're here now, and my mom says you'll be staying with us for at least several days. So we'll definitely be hanging out a lot, especially since school is cancelled," Dan said, "Speaking of school, I don't see you around much."

Ichika shrugged. "I don't stick around school longer than necessary."

"Why not?"

"No reason to."

Dan grinned. "Well, now that we're going to be best friends, you have to hang out with me after school."

"Best friends?"

"Yep. I can already tell that we'll get along great!"

Ichika nodded, smiling, "Sounds good to me." He looked around the room. "So, what do we do now?"

Dan thought for a moment and then his face lit up. "Ever play a fighting video game called Tekken?"

Ichika frowned. "I don't play much video games," he admitted, somewhat embarrassed. Between his sister's kendo training, his schoolwork, and his chores, he hardly had time to play games. Not to mention he didn't even have a gaming console.

The smile on Dan's face grew even wider and he got out of bed, firing up his game console and turning on the small TV in his room. "Then I guess I'll show you what you've been missing."

-**xxxxxx**-

"What! How the heck did you do that combo?" Ichika exclaimed in disbelief after losing for the fifteenth time. "I haven't won a single game!"

They were both sitting on the hardwood floor in front of the TV, game controllers in hand. It had been fascinating for Ichika to watch as the gaming console powered up and Dan inserted this disk that apparently had all the game data on it. Dan explained what the buttons on the controllers did as the game was loading. Then it was pretty simple to grasp the actual basics of the game, with buttons corresponding to certain attacks, and the attacks depended on which combinations of buttons he pressed. But mastering the more advanced techniques was definitely more challenging, and it didn't help at all that Dan never let up in every match even though he was clearly far superior.

Losing so many times was becoming rather frustrating for Ichika, but even Dan admitted that by the fifteenth game he was already getting a decent hang of it since he was lasting longer than previous matches.

Dan laughed, adjusting his long red hair. "I've been playing a lot longer than you, Ichika. You shouldn't be so upset. It took me a while to get the hang of it too. Are you at least having fun?"

"Of course!" Ichika gave him a determined look and said, "Listen up Dan: I'm going to beat you at least once before my stay here is over. Mark my words!"

"You can try," Dan replied with a smile.

Just then, a redheaded young girl stopped in the doorway. "Hey bro. I'm going downstairs to get some food, you want anyth-" she didn't finish as her eyes went wide at the sight of Ichika. "Who is _that_?" she pointed at him.

Ichika waved happily at her. "Hey, Ran! Remember me?"

"It's Ichika," Dan explained.

"Oh. H-Hi Ichika!" she said in a small voice, her hands going behind her as she rocked back and forth between her tiptoes and her heels. "Is he uh... visiting for the day?"

Dan gave her a strange look. "Weren't you listening when mom said that he was going to stay with us for several days?"

"You mean, he's going to _live _here for a few days?" Ran repeated quickly, blinking in surprise.

Dan shook his head and looked at Ichika apologetically. "Please forgive my little sister. Sometimes she's a little slow."

WHACK.

"Ow!"

Ran had walked into the room and smacked her older brother upside the head, her face contorted from anger and irritation. Then just as quickly as she had hit him she stormed out, fists clenched and teeth grinding.

"Man..." Dan said as he rubbed the side of his head that she had hit. "You know, for a little girl she hits pretty damn hard, let me tell you."

Ichika shook his head as he thought of his own sister Chifuyu and all the times she smacked him around, whether practicing kendo or outside the dojo. Dan had no idea what the term 'hit pretty damn hard' really meant.

"So, how the heck did you figure out all those advanced combinations?" asked the dark-haired boy, getting back to the subject of games.

Dan opened the small cabinet that the TV was resting upon and pulled out the game case. On the inside front cover of the case he pulled out a small booklet and handed it to Ichika, who looked at it curiously and opened it up.

"That, my friend, is a combination manual," he explained.

And what a manual it was. It appeared that it had every single combination for every character in the game. There were combinations and moves that he never would've come up with either, and that fascinated him. These video games were really awesome in his mind, and he began to wonder how he had lived his life so far without playing a single one.

"This is so useful! Did this come with the game?" asked Ichika, flipping through the pages quickly.

Dan shook his head slowly, looking thoughtful. "Yeah, but not really. I got the special edition copy of the game, which comes with the free combo package manual. If you bought the normal version it wouldn't have come with the game and you would've had to order it online if you really wanted it."

"Nice. Mind if I read it then? I'll need to study up and figure out how all those more advanced combos work."

"Yeah, sure. That's why I brought it out after all," replied Dan. He put a hand on his stomach and frowned. "You wanna eat something? I just realized I haven't eaten anything today."

Ichika shrugged as he looked outside, noting that the sky was perfectly clear and blue. "Your mom already gave me some food earlier, but I could join you and munch on a little something." He didn't feel too full to eat again, but he also knew that he shouldn't eat a lot this time around or he might explode, or worse puke.

"Best part about living over your family's restaurant is how good the food is all the time. And there's always a lot of it too!" said Dan as he stood up and stretched, still in his pajamas.

"Aren't you going to change?" asked Ichika as he also got to his feet.

"Meh. It'll be fine," replied the redhead with a grin, "Now c'mon, let's eat!"

They proceeded downstairs, where Dan went straight into the kitchen after telling Ichika to take a seat at one of the empty tables. He emerged about a minute later, scratching the back of his head as he sat down empty-handed across from Ichika.

"What happened?" asked the dark-haired boy.

"My sister's cooking something up for us," replied Dan in a tone that suggested he wasn't exactly sure why she was doing it.

"Oh wow, she knows how to cook already?" Ichika was impressed since Ran was a year younger than them and he and Dan were only nine.

"Hey, I know how to cook too you know. That's what you get living on top of a restaurant that's owned and run by your family," replied the boy with the scarlet hair as he leaned back in his seat.

Ran's voice spoke up from behind Dan, startling him. "My brother may know how to cook, but that doesn't mean he can cook well." In her hands were two plates full of food - rice, some vegetables, and a brownish meat that looked like beef.

Even though he had eaten only a couple of hours ago, Ichika could not help but feel hungry as the delicious scent of the food presented to him wafted into his nostrils.

"Wow, is this what I think it is?" Dan said as he leaned forward and eyed his plate greedily. Then he looked up questioningly at his younger sister, one eyebrow raised. "Wait a minute, why did you cook your special beef dish?" Then his eyes slowly traveled over to Ichika, who was already eating, and a light bulb flashed in his head. "Ahhhh... I get it! You like Ich- oof~!"

Ran had smacked him in the face, throwing him back and tipping his chair over so that he fell into a heap on the floor with a loud thud.

Several customers turned to look at the spectacle, regarding the children for a moment with interest before going back to their meals. Even Ichika stood up, surprised and looking concernedly over to Dan, who was just getting up with a groan.

"You okay, Dan? What happened?" asked Ichika, looking between the two siblings.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Heh..." he said sheepishly, "Just a little accident, that's all."

"Learn to keep your mouth shut next time, you idiot," Ran huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and staring down at her older brother as he replaced his chair and sat back down.

Ichika sat back down but couldn't bring himself to eat anymore, suddenly feeling full.

Ran seemed to notice and she did her best to hide her look of worry. "Uh... Ichika? Are you... What's wrong with the food? Do you not like it?"

Dan didn't wisely didn't interject a comment, continuing to eat and enjoy his food in silence.

Ichika raised his hands towards her, "Oh! No, no! I like it. It's really good, Ran. I'm just... I already ate earlier and I'm feeling really full now."

"So you do _like _it?" she asked, a smile widening on her small face.

Ichika nodded, giving her a thumbs up. "I love it!" Then he frowned a little, "Though this is making me kinda thirsty."

"I'll get you some water right away!" she squeaked and ran back into the kitchen.

Dan snorted and shook his head.

"Hey Dan," Ichika caught the redhead's attention.

Chewing on a mouthful of food, Dan let out an "Mmmm?" in response.

"Did you see or hear about that flying super robot thingy?"

Dan swallowed his food and nodded, his eyes alight with excitement that matched Ichika's own. "Of course! It was all over the news! That was so cool. And kinda scary too, if you think about it, I mean how many missiles were heading for Japan? But then that robot came and kicked ass! I think they were calling it the White Knight or something? That's an alright name, I guess, but I'd go for something like White Megadeath 3000 or the White Apocalypse."

Ichika laughed and they talked about it some more.

-**xxxxxx**-

A few days later, Ichika was hunched over outside and out of breath. Sweat covered his body and wiping away some from his forehead only made it marginally better, the humidity really making it feel like he was in a sauna.

"Hey, Ichika! You tired already?" Ran giggled as she ran around him, scarlet hair flowing behind her as she moved.

Ichika shook his head and said with a grin, "No way!" He chased after her, willing his tired legs to move. He had promised Ran that he would play tag with her at the nearby park today, but that was before he realized how hot and humid it was. And also how much energy the younger girl really had.

Even though he was a nine-year old with an abundance of energy of his own, Ichika was already feeling tired whereas Ran seemed to gain even more energy.

Still, he kept his word. As his sister Chifuyu had taught him over and over again, "Your word is your bond, Ichika. If you give someone your word, you better not break it."

She kept looking over her shoulder at him as she ran, giggling every now and then as he struggled to keep up.

"Come on, slowpoke!" she taunted happily as she turned off the path and ran in between some trees and through a bush. "Ahhh!"

"What the-!" exclaimed a clearly male voice.

"Ah! My knee!" said another male voice, with more annoyance than pain.

Ichika heard her sudden cry and some angry male voices and immediately redoubled his efforts to reach her, emerging on the other side and barely managing to avoid hitting someone who was standing on another path that was beyond the bushes.

"Watch out kid!" one of them said, shoving him as Ichika passed within a few inches of hitting the person.

Ichika stumbled but caught himself and turned to observe the sight before him.

There were three boys, all taller and bigger than him, though no more than sixteen years old by the look of them. Ran was on her butt on the ground next to one of the boys and she looked surprised and more than a little scared of the older trio.

"Well lookie here," sneered the boy who was standing over Ran. He was taller than the rest by about two inches, and he had this air of superiority about him. "You nearly broke my knee," he stated, reaching down to rub his left knee and then swinging his lower leg back and forth a little to test the joint. "Don't you know that I'm a star high school soccer player?"

"I-I'm sorry! It w-was an accident, I swear," Ran said as she shuffled away, intimidated by the bigger boy.

The tall one shook his head and looked to his companions, all of them with smug looks. "You hear that boys? She's sorry." His friends' ensuing laughs sounded forced to Ichika.

"P-please forgive me!" Ran said as she slowly got to her feet.

Shaking his head, the tall boy sighed. "Alright. I'll forgive you."

Ran bowed her head respectfully to him.

"But, just in case I don't play well because of you running into my knee like that, and to make sure no one else gets hurt, we're going to have to break one of your knees," the tall boy said menacingly, "_Sorry_." He added the apology with sarcasm.

"W-What?" Ran said, taking a step back.

"Run away, Ran!" yelled Ichika, clenching his fists at his sides.

She heard him and turned to bolt away, but the tall boy closed the gap between them with one long step and grabbed her by her left wrist, jerking her back towards him. He backhanded her and she let out a cry of pain as she fell, tears streaming down her cheeks as she began to sob.

"Oh, don't cry yet. We haven't even gotten to the best part," said the tall boy as he knelt down and patted her left knee, eyeing it with interest.

"What do you think you're doing? You're sick! You're... You're terrible people! Get away from her!" Ichika raged, knuckles turned white from the tightness of his fists. He ran towards them but one of the boys grabbed him and shoved him back roughly.

The tall boy glanced over to him and motioned with his head, "Take care of the loudmouth, will you?" His two friends nodded and turned to the smaller boy with eager smiles.

Ichika glared at them as he got to his feet. He had to save Ran. He had to fight. Even though he was smaller and most likely weaker than these terrible bullies, he had to fight them off. He had to try.

One of the boys tried to kick him, but Ichika was able to move back and dodge it.

"RRRRAGGHHH!" he yelled defiantly as he rushed at the closer of the two boys. When the boy moved to punch him he ducked and tackled his the bigger kid around the midsection, his momentum throwing the boy back and he landed on top of him. Ichika began to hit the boy in the face with his fists, blood suddenly emerging from one of the boy's nostrils.

Rough hands grabbed him then and he squirmed, trying to break free. He leaned his head forward and bit into the thumb of one of the other boys' hands, eliciting a cry of pain and causing the boy to let go. He turned, ducking another punch and elbowing the boy in the gut before punching him in the chest. The boy staggered back in surprise, but Ichika had not hit him hard enough to really hurt him and it showed as he simply rubbed the spots he was hit at and eyed him with fury.

"N-No! Please! P-Please don't do it!" Ran pleaded weakly, bawling her eyes out as the tall soccer player raised stood and raised his leg.

He snorted and then brought his foot down hard on her left knee.

"AH!" yelled Ran, clutching at her knee in pain.

The tall boy cocked his head. "You're tougher than you look. But I'd say one more good kick should do your knee in nicely," he said. This time he tested his left knee again before raising that up.

"NO!" Ichika bellowed as he ran around one of the tall boy's companions, barely escaping an outstretched arm trying to grab him, and jumped towards the soccer player. His small body slammed into the tall boy's side, sending them into a crumpled heap on the ground.

"You little brat!" the tall boy said through gritted teeth as he got to his feet, touching his hand up to his temple where a fresh cut was bleeding out profusely, the red liquid trickling down his cheek and the edge of his jaw.

Dazed from the hit, Ichika groaned and tried to get up, and then was roughly brought to his feet by two sets of hands grabbing him by the arms. He struggled, but they held him tightly. So tightly in fact that it hurt, and he grimaced as his arms protested to him.

"This is going to hurt. A _lot_," the tall boy spat as he rammed a knee into Ichika's midsection, and he would have fallen to his knees had he not been held up by the two companions of the soccer boy. He kneed him again, Ichika whimpering in pain, his own eyes and cheeks now wet with tears. He felt something give in his side at the second hit, pain shooting in the area like a hot lance driving through him.

The tall kid then punched him all over a few times, and it was all that Ichika could do to stay conscious as the rest of his body simply went limp, too weak and in pain to do much of anything.

Then the tall kid stepped back, looking at him with smug satisfaction, before he turned so that he was facing sideways and looking at Ichika from over his left shoulder. "I hope this teaches you a lesson," the tall boy said and then he stepped towards him and twisted, raising his right foot. It connected with Ichika's face and whipped his head around as the two boys let go of him, the little boy sprawling into the dirt as darkness consumed his thoughts.

-**xxxxxx**-

When Ichika awoke, the first thing he felt was soreness. His entire body ached and his head throbbed with pain. Underneath him he felt firm cushions and a pillow that cradled his head. A distant beeping sound echoed at a constant rate. Beep. Then a pause. Beep. Another pause. Beep. It continued like that for a while as he slowly regained his senses. He tried to open his eyes and managed to open his right one, his left eye barely moving. His vision was fuzzy, but he tried to look around by turning his head.

The room he was in was all white, with bright overhead lights that actually hurt his eyes for a few seconds before they got used to it.

"About time you woke up. I thought my little brother would be stronger than that," said the familiar voice of his older sister, her attempt at admonishing him thwarted by the concern and worry evident in her voice.

He tried to speak but there a dryness in his throat, the friction of his vocal chords causing him to cough.

"Easy there, Ichika," she said in a softer tone.

A glass of water was suddenly pressed gently to his lips, and he sipped at it eagerly, coughing slightly and spilling a little on himself.

Chifuyu dabbed the spilled water with a paper towel.

"Thanks..." he managed to whisper.

She smiled ever so slightly and then sighed. "What did I tell you about getting into trouble?"

"Ran...?" he asked.

"She's fine. You saved her from getting hurt, though I'm not sure if I approve of the way you did it, taking on three bigger boys like that. Still, I admire the bravery you displayed. Stupid and foolish, but brave," she said with a grin.

"How?"

"One of the park police officers stumbled upon you just as you had been kicked in the face. Suffice it to say, the three boys hightailed it out of there," she explained. "Now get some more rest, Ichika. I want you out of here as soon as possible. Okay?" She lightly ran a hand through his hair as he nodded and closed his eyes, mumbling a "Yes big sis" before drifting off into sleep.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Thanks for the early reviews! I'm using both the light novels and the anime as guides, but this will be a different plot. One that hopefully you will find enjoyable. As always, feedback is appreciated. :)


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